San Francisco Community Events

You Be the Judge! Best Chowder at SF’s Wharf Fest Chowder Competition?

What are you doing Saturday for lunch? Grab your friends and get down to the Bay for a delicious chowder tasting, Pier 43 to be exact. The 2017 Wharf Fest Chowder Competition & Street Fair happens Saturday, October 21, from 11am to 5pm at Fisherman’s Wharf and is going to be a stiff competition this year among the many acclaimed chefs. Hard Rock Cafe San Francisco, will be participating in the contest serving up a unique Salmon-Bacon Chowder recipe. “Chowder Fest is a wonderful event for all the restaurants in Fisherman’s Wharf to really feature what makes San Francisco unique,” says Avery Burgert, Hard Rock Cafe SF Sales & Marketing Manager. “All of us at Hard Rock Cafe San Francisco are so excited to participate.”

Hard Rock’s Salmon-Bacon Chowder served up in fresh local French bread loaves. Yum!

When asked why they were entering a Salmon Chowder,  Avery replied, “Hard Rock’s Salmon-Bacon Chowder is an old Hard Rock Cafe recipe that we recreated specifically for this event. We decided to go with a fresh local salmon and a local bread, because we wanted to highlight what is unique and fresh to the San Francisco Bay Area.”

Ten different restaurants have entered the competition. Besides street vendors and art vendors, they will have a rock climbing wall! The whole community comes out for this event which is celebrating its fourth year. “We really enjoy being a part of San Francisco community events,” continues Avery. ‘Chowder Fest is an obvious choice for us because it is in our own back yard. We wouldn’t miss it.”

It should be a beautiful day on the Bay with family, friends and chowder!

About Wharf Fest Chowder Competition & Street Fair:

For the fourth year in a row, Fisherman’s Wharf invites Bay Area locals to come enjoy the neighborhood after the crowds of visitors have subsided but before the fabulous fall weather fades away. Festival goers will enjoy a street fair, art vendors and a variety of free activities including a Segway obstacle course and rock climbing walls. At the most delicious part of the day, the Chowder Competition, 10 different Wharf restaurants will battle it out for the title of the Best Chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf.

About Hard Rock Cafe, San Francisco

Located on world-renowned Pier 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf, Hard Rock Cafe San Francisco was completely renovated in April 2017 and includes modernized décor, a refreshed outdoor patio, expanded Rock Shop® Retail Store, a new function room equipped for private events and new memorabilia collection additions. Plus, new San Francisco-inspired dishes have been introduced to the restaurant menu. Come for a visit after the Chowder Fest.

Photos courtesy of Fisherman’s Wharf and Hard Rock Cafe.

By |2017-10-20T19:13:15-07:00October 19th, 2017|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

SPIN Ping Pong Social Club Celebrates First Birthday in SF!

WHEN: FRIDAY JULY 14 – 9pm – 2am – Birthday Party (SPIN will be closed from 4-9pm and then at 9p will open for the party.)

WHERE: 690 Folsom St. in San Francisco

WHAT: Academy Award-winning Susan Sarandon’s SF SPIN Ping Pong Social Club at Folsom and 3rd,  turns one today and you’re invited to their birthday party.  Come for the ping pong, stay for the dance party.

  • Ping pong showdown between Olympian Lilly Zheng and surprise guest
  • Beats by The Scumfrog; Electric Violin by Dave Kim
  • Live unicorn station (epic unicorn selfie awaits)
  • Hosted by Instagram sensations @girlwithnojob and @boywithnojob
  • If you haven’t played recently, ping pong is getting popular. Check it out.

According to communications director, Amy Chan, “SPiN is celebrating its one year birthday and throwing a bad ass party! Hosted by Instagram sensations @girlwithnojob and @boywithnojob, there will be a ping pong show down between Olympians, a live unicorn, and some surprise special guests.”

More about SPIN

Like the game, their bar and menu are fun!

SPIN’s cuisine is a  farm to table approach with quality ingredients raised locally. Their food is simple, yet elegant and designed with a creative spirit. They serve Whole World Water, which is a campaign designed to eradicate world thirst. Check out a few menu items:

Appetizers like Sweet Potato Waffle Fries with Kimchee Dipping Sauce. Burrata with grilled peaches, Arugula, Olive Oil, Local Honey & Balsamic Glaze. SPIN Guac – Jalapeno Tomato and Fresno Chile with Crispy Blue Corn Chips.

Fun flatbreads like the Tony Soprano – Rustic Ragout, Nduja, Peperoni, Mozzarella, Chive & Pecorino or the Golden Gate with Ricotta, Brown Sugared Black Pepper Bacon, Yukon Gold Potato, Oven Roasted Tomato, Quail Egg & Mozzarella. They have sliders and lots of Sweets. More here.

Happy Birthday SPIN!

From your friends at San Francisco on the Bay.

By |2017-08-03T13:09:43-07:00July 14th, 2017|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

New Collaboration Craft Beers Released as SF Beer Week Kicks off at Pier 48

The San Francisco Brewers Guild announced  on Feb. 9 the collaboration craft beer list to be debuted at the SF Beer Week Opening Gala on Fri., Feb. 10. This year’s Opening Gala unveils 19 unique collaboration beers, and 11 more collaborations will be released at select events throughout SF Beer Week. With over 100 breweries in the SF Bay Area and almost 900 events taking place during SF Beer Week, instead of being divisive, this craft beer community is joining forces. You will see that the names of these collaborative beers are as creative as their collaborative styles.

Photo/G. Williams

Photo/G. Williams

Here are the 19 beers being tapped at  the Opening Gala:

(ABV (Alcohol By Volume) measures the alcohol content and the IBU ( International Bitterness Units) measures the bitterness from hops in a beer on a scale of 0 to 100)

  1. ALE INDUSTRIES + MISSION TRAIL CIDER CO
    Protect Ya Nectarine
    Sour (4.75% ABV)
  2. ALTAMONT + REVISION BREWING CO.
    Hella Revised
    IPA (6.5% ABV | hoppy IBUs)
  3. ALVARADO STREET + CELLARMAKER
    When Doves Cryo
    West Coast IPA (7% ABV | 50 IBUs)
  4. ALVARADO STREET + AMPLIFIED ALE WORKS
    Trois Cabrones
    Double IPA (8.5% ABV | 50 IBUs)
  5. CAMINO + E.J. PHAIR (pouring at both stations)
    Barista Imperial Brown Ale
    Southern English Imperial Brown Ale (7.4% ABV | 31 IBUs)
  6. E.J. PHAIR + HALF MOON BAY
    Used and IBU’sed
    IPA (7% ABV | 64 IBUs
  7. E.J. PHAIR + HIGH WATER
    Blueberry Pancakes
    Blonde Ale (7.7% ABV | 21 IBUs)
  8. FERMENT.DRINK.REPEAT + HOMEBREWERS
    You’re Such a Tea(se)
    Hibiscus Saison (6.7% ABV | 28 IBUs)
  9. GHOST TOWN + MOYLAN’S
    El Cucuy
    Saison (6% ABV)
  10. HALF MOON BAY + HOP DOGMA
    Lost in the Fog IPA
    New England-style IPA (7.2% ABV)
  11. HARMONIC + OLD BUS TAVERN
    Cross-eyed
    Triple IPA (11.4% ABV | 85 IBUs)
  12. MAGNOLIA + EX NOVO
    Strawberry Garcia
    English Milk Stout with Strawberries
  13. MOYLAN’S + HALF MOON BAY
    Haze Craze IPA
    IPA (6.8% ABV | 60 IBUs)
  14. NEW BOHEMIA + HEADLANDS
    Light my Fire
    Smoked Helles (4.5% ABV | 23 IBUs)
  15. NORTH COAST + ROUGE + DESCHUTES
    Class of ’88
    American Barleywine (10% ABV | 25 IBUs)
  16. SAN FRANCISCO BREWERS GUILD
    New Frontier
    Post-Modern Kolsch-style Ale with Satsuma Mandarin Juice & Evergreen (5.3% ABV)
  17. THIRSTYBEAR + SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN
    Smoked California Common
    California Common (5.2% ABV | 38 IBUs)
  18. UNCOMMON BREWERS + HIGH WATER
    Whiskey Thief
    Smoked Strong Scotch Ale (9.2% ABV | 20 IBUs)
  19. FORT POINT BEER + FREIGEIST
    Manzanita
    Smoked Altbier with Charred Manzanita (6.5% ABV | 16 IBUs)

The party kicks off with the Opening Gala at Pier 48 on 3rd St. in San Francisco Fri., Feb. 10 from 6-10pm and will prove once again to be the largest gathering of the Northern California craft beer community, followed by a nine-day marathon of beer tastings, beer dinners and tap takeovers all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Craft Beer will be pouring all over the Bay Area Fri., Feb. 10- Sun., Feb. 18 during SF Beer Week, celebrating all the pioneers, innovators and disrupters who are driving the craft beer industry. Not to mention an orgy of tastings of their many unique, intensely flavorful and occasionally outrageous beers. More than 100 breweries operate in one of the world’s most creative regions – the San Francisco Bay Area.

Photo/J. Marino

Photo/J. Marino

The creativity and energy that makes the craft beer community so cool will be obvious with every single brew you taste. Tickets to the Opening Gala are now on sale. Find your schedule of Bay Area events here.

Look who’s pouring on Opening Night  at Pier 48 – 125 breweries!

San Francisco
21st Amendment Brewery, Almanac Beer Co., Anchor Brewing Co., Barebottle Brew Co., Barrel Head Brewhouse, Bartlett Hall Brewing, Beach Chalet Brewing & Restaurant, Black Hammer Brewing Co., Black Sands Brewery, Cellarmaker Brewing Co., Ferment. Drink. Repeat, Fort Point Beer Co., Harmonic Brewing, Headlands Brewing Co., Holy Craft Brewery, Laughing Monk Brewing Co., Local Brewing Co., Magnolia Brewing Co., Old Bus Tavern, Pine Street Brewery, San Francisco Brewing Co., Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery, Social Kitchen & Brewery, Southern Pacific Brewing Co., Southpaw BBQ, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, Standard Deviant Brewing LLC, Sufferfest Beer Co., Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co., ThirstyBear Organic Brewery, Triple Voodoo Brewery & Tap Room and Woods Beer Co.

East Bay
Alameda Island Brewing Co., Ale Industries, Altamont Beer Works, Auburn Alehouse, Benoit-Casper Brewing Co., Berryessa Brewing Co., Bison Brewing Co., Black Diamond Brewery, Calicraft Brewing Co., Cleophus Quealy Beer Co., Diving Dog Brewhouse, Drake’s Brewing Co., E.J. Phair Brewing Co., East Brother Brewing Co., Eight Bridges Brewing, Elevation 66 Brewing Co., Epidemic Ales, Farm Creek 5bdc26_e8c05ecaa002420285f203df253e1dcd-jpg_srb_p_937_625_75_22_0-50_1-20_0-00_jpg_srb-300x199Brewing Company, Federation Brewing, Ghost Town Brewing, Heretic Brewing Co., High Water Brewing, Hoppy Brewing Co., Knee Deep Brewing Co., Lucky Devil Brewing, Mare Island Brewing Co., New Helvetia Brewing Co., Novel Brewing Co., Ol’ Republic Brewery, Pacific Coast Brewing Co., Rubicon Brewing Co., Ruhstaller Brewing & Taproom, Schubros Brewery, Sudwerk Brewing, Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co., Temescal Brewing Co., The Rare Barrel, Track 7 Brewing Co., Triple Rock Brewing Co., Trumer Brauerei and Working Man Brewing Co.

North Bay
img_2447101 North Brewing Co., Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Bear Republic Brewing Co., Cooperage Brewing Co., Eel River Brewing Co., Fogbelt Brewing Co., HenHouse Brewing Co., Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Lost Coast Brewery, Mad Fritz Beer, Mad River Brewing Co., Moonlight Brewing Co., Moylan’s Brewing Co., Napa Smith Brewery, North Coast Brewing Co., Old Redwood Brewing Co., Petaluma Hills Brewing Co., Plow Brewing Co., Russian River Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Sonoma Springs Brewing Co., St. Florian’s Brewery, Stumptown Brewery, Third Street Aleworks and Woodfour Brewing Co.

South Bay
Alpha Acid Brewing Co., Alvarado Street Brewing & Grill, Armstrong Brewing Co., Blue Oak Brewing Company, LLC, Camino Brewing Co., Campbell Brewing Co., DasBrew, Inc., Devil’s Canyon Brewing Co., Discretion Brewing, El Toro Brewing Co., Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Freewheel Brewing Co., Golden State Brewery, Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., Hermitage Brewing Co., Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Loma Brewing Co., New Bohemia Brewing Co., Palo Alto Brewing Co., Santa Clara Valley Brewing, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Strike Brewing Co., Tied House Brewery & Cafe and Uncommon Brewers.

SF Beer Week brings brewers from around the world together to learn from one another and keep the innovations rolling.

Thirst quenching beer events and dinner/beer pairings will continue throughout  the next week. You can plan your own curated beer week around these events. Unfortunately the  2017 Bridge to Bridge Run with Fort Point Beer Co. & Mikkeller Run Club (4.6 mi) is sold out – but there are plenty of viewers’ vantage points. Starting at Fort Point’s Presidio brewery — which sits in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge — the run is down the waterfront to a post-run rally at Fort Point’s Ferry Building Kiosk, near the foot of the Bay Bridge.

liberty_ale_bio_canBay Area home to America’s first craft beer

Beer style innovation goes back to the production of America’s first craft beer, Anchor Steam, in San Francisco at Anchor Brewing Co., whose Liberty Ale in the mid 70s laid the groundwork for America’s first IPA. Chico’s Sierra Nevada got the momentum going using the same hops varietal (Cascade) in their Pale Ale. By the 1990s more breweries were making more hoppy beers. And then the Russian River Brewing Co. made their famous, very strong, Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger double and triple IPAs. Bay Area stores receive small allotments of these desirable IPAs only once a week, with a limit of two per customer.

And now there are over 100 breweries in the San Francisco Bay Area. We all have our local favorites who will be hosting events during SF Beer Week.

For example, East Brother Beer Co. will be moving around:

Fri., Feb. 10: Opening Gala, Pier 48, San Francisco
Sun., Feb. 12: Special beer & food surprises at their taproom in Richmond
Mon. Feb. 13: Baby Brewery Night, Pacific Standard Taproom, Berkeley
Thur., Feb. 16: East Brother Beer Co, Tap Takeover at Boo Koo in Mill Valley
Sat., Feb 18: East Bay Brewers Festival at Drake’s Dealership in Oakland

And for Valentine’s Day, Tue., Feb. 14, Cleophus Quealy will be pairing their beer with Chocolate!

Find more collaborative beer tastings here

 

By |2017-04-28T15:53:29-07:00February 10th, 2017|Tags: , |0 Comments

Don’t Miss Treasure Island Music Festival’s Last Year on the Island

On Oct. 15 and 16 Treasure Island Music Festival celebrates its Tenth Anniversary and promises to continue for years to come, not on the island, but in a new location to be announced by producers Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment at a future date. This year’s Festival also promises a huge celebration of ten years on the iconic Island, building on the memorable music of the past decade and closing out the last year on TI with a crescendo of sights, sounds, laughter, fun and food.

Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros

The Festival always brings an eclectic mix of music performances with no overlapping sets to its audience, and this year headliners include internationally renowned Icelandic rock group Sigur Rós and West Coast hip-hop royalty Ice Cube. And there’s a variety of European and Canadian bands.

Ice Cube

Ice Cube

TIMF 2016 also welcomes English singer-songwriter James Blake, who will be performing in support of his recent album, The Colour in Anything, released to critical acclaim this May; Canadian electronica duo Purity Ring; UK-based Glass Animals, who are also releasing their sophomore album, How To Be A Human Being, later this summer; EDM pioneer Duke Dumont; UK rapper Stormzy; multi-instrumentalist producer Mura Masa; Spanish indie rockers Hinds; and the English electronic-soul duo HONNE, who just released their debut album, Warm On A Cold Night.

There are many other acts including electronic musician Zhu and Oakland based Day Wave and Kamalyah.

treasure-isatmosphere-misha-vladimirskiy-10-18-15

Photo/Misha-Vladmirskly

View the entire lineup and schedule here.

Ticket information.

There is absolutely no parking on the island, but complimentary shuttles from the East Bay and SF are available, as well as guest berths for boats at the marina

Getting there.

dsc04674atmosphere-misha-vladimirskiy-10-18-15

Photo/Misha-Vladmirskly

By |2016-11-03T15:23:55-07:00October 12th, 2016|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Ping Pong 4 Pride Supporting Pulse

Put on your PRIDE and pick up a ping pong paddle, while you raise some money for PULSE. Join the festivities from 9pm to 2am Fri. night, June 24. SPiN, the new Ping Pong Salon at 690 Folsom St. in San Francisco, kicks off SF Pride Weekend with a fundraiser for Pulse Nightclub victims and their families. Staff wanted to bring the community together and host a party to benefit the victims of the tragic Pulse Nightclub massacre.  PULSE and SPiN and PRIDE share a common thread – they are all about community and taking care of community.

SPiN invites you to come play PONG and show your PRIDE! Or just show up and have fun watching people play.  Event & Community Manager, Lauren Magboo, has some great hopes for the event. “We hope to celebrate love and to raise money for an amazing cause.” There are three ways they are raising money – collecting a donation at the door (no cover charge at SPiN), buying the PRIDE Night’s Specialty Cocktails and donating on line to the official GoFundMe page if you cannot attend. (You may want to visit that page anyway for a hopeful story!)

160519_NJ_9281

So, what are the Pride Kick-off Specialty Cocktails?

  • SPiN Royale – SPiN’s PRIDE version of the classic French Kir Royale with grapefruit juice and Absinthe
  • SPiNarita – a spicy Mango Margarita with Heradurra Tequila enhanced with a mega purée of agave, fresh lime juice and firewater bitters
  • Aperol Spritz – the traditional lovely Italian aperitif
  • La Marca Prosecco
  • Seven Hills Rosé Wine

Proceeds from the event donations and specialty cocktails go to the National Center for Victims of Crime supporting the victims and families of the Pulse shooting in Orlando.

Show up with your friends and fill the 12,00 sq ft space. You can also call 415-636-5995 and book a table or book online.

SPiN opened in San Francisco a month ago, following in the footsteps of the celeb famous SPiN NYC which has been a happening for seven years. They have a salon in Chicago and two franchises  – in Toronto and Los Angeles.

  • WHEN: Fri., June 24, 2016
  • WHERE: SPiN Ping Pong Salon, 690 Folsom St. in San Francisco
  • WHAT: SPiN’s SF PRIDE kick-off fundraiser for PULSE
  • WHY: Come together as a community, have some fun, kick off SF Pride Weekend and raise money for the victims and  families of the PULSE Nightclub shooting in Orlando

 

 

By |2016-08-29T15:23:52-07:00June 23rd, 2016|0 Comments

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